The Hunger Games - The tribute lost in the woods
by ZephyrSolomon
Summary: Not all tributes win. Katniss and Peeta are living well, trying not to remember the horror they had faced when they were younger. But that all changes when they realise a tribute that's been lost... {set before they had kids!}


Peeta. Haymitch. Me, Katniss. We lived for quite some time, just as the three of us - and I was happy. It seemed that my mental scars, although not healed, were being covered by my happiness with Peeta. Of course, we were still plagued by nightmares, screaming flashbacks and greif for those lost in the past. But Peeta hadn't had an attack in months. All was well in Panem.

I was sitting infront of the fireplace in our District 12 house, feathering a bird for supper that Peeta had caught. He was learning to hunt - he wasn't scaring off the prey with his feet, in any case. Katniss was suddenly reminded of her first Games - Peeta's heavy footfalls, bringing out the berries... The capitol. I jerked myself out of going down that route. Only sadness was hidden there.

Peeta walked in, his face distracted. He seemed to be thinking of something else.

"Peeta?" I said, turning, unreasonably worried. He drew up a chair, still thinking.

"You know... The videos of the Victors we watched... before the Quell?" I could tell he hated talking about the Games. Or the war. Or the capitol. Or anything. Either that or he was worried I would retreat into my shell of greif and screaming, like when we were in Snows Mansion.

"Yes?" I asked, trying to sound normal.

"Well, I was thinking about all the tributes. And I know that there were two district 11 female victors."

District 11. . The bird-like way she stood. Her death. I swallowed.

"She was the victor two Games after Haymitch's." Peeta finished, reading my expression. "Don't worry, we don't have to talk about this. I'm sorry."

"No, I wan't to. I can't spend my life hiding." Katniss said, and thought. "The tribute from district 11?"

"Yeah, I remember Haymitch talking about nobody seeing her coming."

"Well, if she wasn't at the Quell, then she's dead." I said bluntly. "Why are you so worried? Lots of tributes died afterwards."

"No, she's not dead. They always, always used to annouce it on Capitol Television. Shes not dead."

"Well, then she avoided the Quell... Maybe you should ask Haymitch. He would have been a mentor."

"I think I might. If she's still alive, she might want to contribute to the book." Ah, yes. The rememberance book, for the dead.

"Thats a good idea, Peeta. You always have to come up with the good ideas." I smiled, and wrapped my arms around him, placing the bird by the fire.

"I love you." He said, and they sat by the fire, thinking.

Haymitch came round at eight, expecting a meal, like he always did. It was then that Peeta took the opportunity to ask him.

"Haymitch, you know the victor two games afer you? District 11?" He asked, timidly. Always sensitive to other peoples reactions.

Haymitch took a few moments to reply. "Yes. I remember her." He continued eating his stew.

"What was she called? Do you remember what happened to her? She wasn't at the Quell."

"She was a wierd girl. Got a 12 as her score. I think she was called... Pox or something. 12's tributes went fast that year, so I didn't watch too long, but I think the Capitol could only get a few shots of her ...Oh. I remember." He smiled dryly. "She was the one who killed the tributes without the Capitol seeing. They tried so hard to catch her with the cameras - I don't know how she did it - They got so angry." He chuckled through a mouthful of gravy. Katniss felt another stab of Rue . She looked back down at her food and tried to contain her thoughts. When she looked back up, Haymitch was watching her.

"She was nothing like Rue." He said sharply, though not unkindly. "She was an Assasin. She might have been playing with the Capitol, but she still killed. The capitol nicknamed her the Silence." He looked back to Peeta. "Dissapeared. After the games. Though all her family insisted she was alive." Katniss noted the past tense 'Insisted'. "Why do you ask?"

"Morbid curiosity, she wasn't at the Quell. I though she could help us with the book."

"Doubt it. She must be about thirty now, and living in the forest for that long must have turned her feral. If she even is alive." Haymitch took another bite of bread. "Although, she didnt seem like a bad one. She wasn't a career. She hated the Capitol. Maybe you could find her."

The conversation lulled for a while, all of us reflecting this.

"D'you think Effie could get her tape?" Peeta said, after a while. I looked hard at him. How could he think that I would be able to sit through another Games? But still, a bit of me was curious to this missing tribute. If we could find her...

"I don't doubt it." Haymitch said, and refilled his glass with liquor. He wasn't so completely drunk much anymore, but he was still into the white liquor. "There wont be much to see, though. I do remember her mimicing Ceaser Winkleman on TV in the arena, though. Might be good to watch."

"I might get onto the phone with her. Just for something to do." Peeta caught my eye and mentally asked if this was okay. I gave a positive, although worried, look back. He smiled.

"Well, I better be off. Thanks for the meal." Haymitch said. "I'll leave you two to have your silent conversations." He grinned. We both smiled and helped him out, cleaning the table.

"I hope your okay with this, Katniss..." Peeta said.

"Don't worry. I'm so happy you don't feel... sad about it any more. I'm glad you've put it behind you."

"I still feel bad! I STILL FEEL BAD! Its not as if i'm over everything that happened - at least I'm trying!" He shouted, throwing the plate in his hands onto the wall. Katniss stumbled back, terrified. Where did this come from? Peeta stood, heaving for a second, then collapsed on a chair. "Oh, Katniss, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."

But Katniss wasn't listening. Peetas shouting blasted a hole in her brain, opening a memory of not so long ago - Peeta, strapped to a hospital bed. "She's a mutt!" He screamed in terror. "She's a stinking mutt!"

Katniss sprinted out of the kitchen, her mind overflowing with panic. Panic at the grief she had been trying so hard to put away for good. Slamming and locking the door to her and Peeta's bedroom, she fell onto the bed and buried her head in her hands, the bank of pain she had been trying to bury was threatening to flood over. Katniss wrapped herself in a ball, trying to hide against the terror. The memories. The mutts. Glimmers eyes in the dogs. Rue dying. The smell of roses and blood.

Peeta rattled the wooden door, shouting "Katniss! Katniss!" The sound brought her back to earth a bit, but she couldnt quell the tears that were streaming silently from her face.

"Katniss!" Peeta screamed, real panic in his voice. He finally managed to shove open the door, and he ran to her on the bed, his strong arms wrapping around her. "Katniss! I'm so sorry!" He spun her round to face him, and she childishly tried to hide her face. Peeta had experienced so much more than me, yet I was the one breaking down like an idiot. There was no reason for me to be crying.  
"Peeta, I'm so sorry." I choked. "Its me."  
"I can't believe I yelled at you like that. I'm a monster."  
"No, no your not." Katniss wiped her eyes and struggled against the greif. "You're the one that has the right to be breaking down." I choked.  
"No, I don't. Not while I have you to protect. And it seems I'm not doing such a good job, now."  
"Peeta." I said, sitting up, looking into his blue eyes. I knew my brain was still in overdrive but I tried to look confident. "You're doing to best job you could possibly do. Thank you."  
"I know I'm not. But as long as you're fine," he stroked a tear from my cheek, "I'm fine."  
Katniss smiled and kissed him.

"The tape!" Peeta said as Katniss came in from hunting one day. "It arrived!"  
Peeta was in the front room, where the TV was, and leapt up to greet her. "Sorry, I didn't mean to just... How was the hunting trip?"  
"Same old. Come on, lets watch the stupid tape." I grinned and flopped down on the sofa. I felt much happier today, for some reason. It was like I was myself for the first time in... a long time.  
Peeta pushed the tape in and they sat. I was a bit apprehensive, but after what Haymitch had said it seemed there wouldnt be too much action for this tribute. This Victor. Whatever.  
The screen showed the reaping, the very Effie - like presenter announcing the name 'Nox Blakely!' With a flourish. Nox, not Pox, Haymitch. Strange name, anyway. The crowd reacted strangely, and all silently turned to a very pale girl in their midst. Since the whole District was quite dark due to the hot sun and labourius work in the orchard, this girl stood out like a sore thumb. Shock platinum hair, too - she looked like something out of the capitol. Quite alot of the crowd smiled, almost in a 'This is going to be interesting' way. The girl walked up to the podium outside the justice building and stood there, arms crossed. Ceascer Winkleman made a comment on her appearance, and his co-narrator laughed and said she seemed to be from the Capitol - exactly what I thought. It cut to her parade costume - her stylist was at least half descent, opting for a large white dress for Nox, accentuating her paleness to a degree in which she looked like she was made of snow, and a black tux for her partner, accentuating his dark skin. The costumed had been decorated like they had been climbing a tree or something.  
Then it showed her interveiw, during which Ceascer had to battle to keep her under control about her hatred of everything. One moment I laughed at was when Ceascer asked 'So, what are you hoping for in the arena?' And she replied with 'No other tributes.' She also said that she hoped the arena would have high buildings to jump off, and she would kill herself if it means beating the system, much to the audiences shock. So when Ceascer asked, finally, for her tactics, she replied sarcastically. 'Get sponsors by being the loveable farmer with the heart of gold, and make friends with all the tributes.' I decided I liked this girl. Dead or alive.  
"I can't believe the Capitol didn't kill her off after that." Peeta mumbled.  
"I don't think they knew what to expect." I smiled.  
Then, finally, came the games. I felt panic rise in my chest when I saw the tubes come up, although Peetas arms soothed most of it away. The arena turned out to be a massive mountain range, with forests and lakes. Though to get to them you had to get over a huge casm or drop.

What little footage they had was hilarious. At first, Nox was walking through a large foresty area mumbling about how crap mountains were. Her language was none too womanly, either. Then she heard someone, (Ceascer announced it was the careers on the voiceover) and she sighed, turned and stood right infront of the camera. She slashed it with one of her knives and the footage went blank. I laughed. By the time they could put a camera in, they were dead. The capitol began following her around with loads of cameras, making sure they captured as much as they could. So Nox resorted to acting like Ceaser.  
"Day four of the hungergames now, and the tributes must be expecting something to come their way. And they wont be dissapointed, ho ho!" The only other bit of arena footage was her sitting on a beach digging a huge hole. It looked much later in the games - she had a gash from her eyebrow to her cheeck. Nobody had any idea what she was doing. For about two and a half days she dug this massive hole - by the end, sponsors were sending her shovels and food just to keep her going. Peeta chuckled at the fact that the capitol were axious she was trying to dig to the bottom of the arena, where she could possibly get out. While she was doing this, the other seven tributes killed themselves off until only the boy from district two remained - he sought her out, missguided the jump and broke his leg in the hole. He had to listen to Nox going about how 'Jumping was an idiotic idea' and that 'Panems stupidity never ceases to amaze her' before the capitol shouted at her to get a move on. It was cruel, but she was rebelling against the Capitol. And that was good.  
Peeta switched the TV off. "That was interesting." He muttered.  
"The capitol had to have been after her after that. Thats why she ran away."  
"I doubt shes still alive. Fifteen years on her own? She couldn't have survived."  
"She _was _a victor."  
"Yeah, but in a different way to you and me. Sure, she could hunt, but... Being alone for so long..."  
"How do you know she was alone? She could have run away with a husband or something."  
"The only person anyone knew she was with was this guy in another district called Damien. Even that was a rumour. And the capitol killed him after she won. Blamed it on some disease."  
I stayed quiet. How people kept on supporting the capitol after things like this happened made me feel sick.  
"So you want to try and find her?" I asked Peeta.  
"I don't know. Something to do, I suppose, and If she is still alive she might need some help."  
"I doubt she is, but if it makes you happy..."

After that day, Peeta threw himself into finding her. I stayed away, having no idea how to help. Where would you even start? We gleaned as much as we could from Haymitch, although he felt it was a waste of time - the only lead we had to go on was that she may be in the forest surrounding district 10. After we gave Haymitch the tape, though, he seemed to warm to her a little bit, and tried to be a bit more helpful. He laughed at the plight with the camera, marveling at how she knew it was there. The capitol thought they were invisible.

One night, I was sitting by the kitchen table cleaning my bow when the Peeta rushed in, joyful.  
"We've got her number? Some relative of that damien guy had kept in touch with her, but died in the war, and his daughter kept it. We've got Nox's number!"


End file.
